Favorite Reads of 2020

1. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
2. The Deep by Rivers Solomon
3. The Black God’s Drums by P Djeli Clark
4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
5. Shame is an Ocean I Swim Across by Mary Lambert
6. Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
7. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
8. Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
9. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
10. Check Please Vol 2: Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu

Buzzword-a-thon 2021

Everyone knows Kayla from BooksandLala, right?

First of all, if you don’t know who Kayla is stop right now, go to her YouTube channel, hit the follow button, and watch a few videos. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Now Kayla has been hosting the Buzzword reading challenge several times a year for the last few years, but in 2021 things are going to be a little different. You can watch her announcement video for all the details and visit her website where you can get a cool graphic to keep track of the challenges and your progress.

Personally, I do way better at challenges that are not kept to specific weeks so I’m really looking forward to being able to tackle this as a year-long challenge. For the months where a specific word is the prompt (January, March, May, July, September, and November) I have selected a single title, while for the months with a general theme (February, April, June, August, October, and December) I’ve selected multiple titles that fit with the theme.

Without further ado, here’s my TBR (subject to change) for the Buzzword Readathon 2021 Challenge:

January: “Dream”

My pick: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Edit: There is apparently a group buddy reading this the first week of January. Check that out here.

February: A Color

My picks: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse; Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire; A Glimmer of Silver by Juliet Kemp; Jade City by Fonda Lee; Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh; The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey; A Pale Light in the Black by KB Wagers; Beyond the Black Door by AM Strickland; Black Wings Beating by Alex London; The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang; The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle; This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria; Space Unicorn Blues by TJ Berry; Red Rising by Pierce Brown; BASICALLY I HAVE A LOT OF OPTIONS. I’m going to just try to read as much of these as I can and see how it goes.

March: “Time”

My pick: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

April: Space/Galaxy Terms

My picks: Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers; The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers; Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott; The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James; Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar; Tarnished are the Stars by Rosiee Thor; Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller; The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho; The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. Again, I have a lot of options!

May: “House/Home”

My pick: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

June: Name/Title

My picks: The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Hossain; The Wicker King by K Ancrum; Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran; The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo; Felix Ever After by Kacen Callendar; King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callendar; The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison; Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger; Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames; the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

July: “Last”

My pick: The Last Witness by KJ Parker
Note: There is a “Group” read of One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston happening?? Apparently? I didn’t like Red White and Royal Blue so I haven’t decided if I will participate in this or not.

August: Time of Day

My picks: The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski; A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir; The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman; The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh; Our Dreams at Dusk Vol 1 by Yuhki Kamatani; Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim and its sequel Unravel the Dusk; The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; Nightbooks by JA White; Into the Nightfell Wood by Kristin Bailey; The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor; Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selen and the sequel Diamond & Dawn; Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire (which just feels perfect for this particular theme!).

September: “Dark”

My pick: In the Ravenous Dark by AM Strickland

October: Elements

My picks: Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard; A Song Below Water by Bethany C Morrow; Daughters of Nri (The Return of the Earth Mother #1) by Reni K Amayo; Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner; The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by NK Jemisin; Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope; Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa; A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir; Stormsong by CL Polk; The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss; Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust; Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier; The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith; Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake; The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall; Stormbreak by Natalie C Parker; Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody. This theme is so broad and open ended (Air = Wind, Breeze, Storm, Smoke; Fire = Burn, Blaze, Flame, Spark; Water can = River, Sea, Lake, Rain, Ice, Mist; Earth = Clay, Dirt, Stone, Rock, Metal) that there are never ending options.

November: “Lost”

My pick: The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost #1) by CL Clark OR The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp

December: Day/Month/Season

My picks: The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter; Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell; Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones; anything by Julian Winters would fit this. HONESTLY I DON’T HAVE A LOT OF OPTIONS FOR THIS ONE AND THEY ALL SEEM TO CONTAIN WINTER. EDIT: The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin; The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon; Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean; and the Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore were all suggested to me and I can’t believe I completely forgot to look through my TBR for the word SEASON. ITS RIGHT THERE. Edit #2: More suggestions I’ve found include The Summer Dragon by Todd Lockwood and A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos (originally written in French and translated into English). Its hard to find Fantasy/SciFi books that fit this theme so I simply won’t have many options this month.

Authors I’ve Removed from my Auto-Buy List

So there are some authors I’m not interested in reading from anymore (at least for the time being. For several of these authors, their only fault is they write in genres I’m not super into right now).

Leigh Bardugo

Why: I didn’t like the Grisha ‘verse. I only read the first book and half of the second, and just didn’t jive with it. Then I read Six of Crows and ADORED IT so I was like. Obviously I was wrong about the Grisha ‘verse. Tried to read it again. Failed again. I then tried to read King of Scars and gave up after a couple chapters, and I have zero interest in reading Ninth House. I’m just not interested in her work and have decided Six of Crows was a fluke.

Maggie Stiefvater

Why: I read the Shiver series years ago and it was… okay. I really loved the first three books of the Raven Cycle (which is how she ended up on my auto-buy list) and then was terribly let down by The Raven King. I have had zero interest in picking up anything since then so… I think I’m just done with her?

Anna-Marie McLemore

Why: I have actually really enjoyed every book by AM that I’ve read. I love their writing style and think their prose is just gorgeous. I have bought every book of theirs as it has come out… Unfortunately, I have to be in the right mood to read their work and haven’t been feeling that way likely so I’m several books behind. So, for now, they’re off of my auto-buy list. But I may still read something from them if it catches my attention.

JK Rowling

Why: I’m pretty sure the reasons for this are well known and obvious. I actually haven’t actively read new work by Rowling in years. I didn’t like A Casual Vacancy and didn’t jive with the Cuckoo’s Calling either, so its a relief to step fully away from her.

Patrick Ness

Why: I really loved the Chaos Walking series and Patrick Ness’ work with the BBC but haven’t enjoyed some of his other work as much, especially his more contemporary work. So I’m not going to say never, but I’m not paying him as much attention as I once did.

Tomi Adeyemi

Why: I think she got hyped a lot. I liked Children of Blood and Bone but the sequel was messy and a let down, and after following her on several social media platforms I decided I don’t like her as a person. (She really accused Nora Roberts of stealing her book title? REALLY??)

Elizabeth Acevedo, Becky Albertalli, Angie Thomas, Brandy Colbert, Ibi Zoboi, Francesca Zappia, Jen Wilde, Jason Reynolds, & Claire Kann

Why: All of these writers are fantastic, but I don’t read a lot of contemporary work anymore and I have at least one (or more) books from each author unread on my shelves. So I need to stop auto-buying their work and pick and choose more carefully.

Myke Cole, Mark Lawrence, Sam Sykes

Why: Various accusations of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or just them allowing their friends to behave badly have soured these men in my mind. So I’m not going to read from them.

Naomi Novik

Why: I was super hyped for A Deadly Education and was super let down. I DNF’d it. The writing wasn’t up to par with what I expect from Naomi Novik, and the racial microaggressions (once I knew about them) were hard to overlook. I won’t give up on her work entirety, but I’m not auto-buying her work anymore.

Mackenzi Lee

Why: I read and enjoyed the Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. I went ahead and put Lee on my auto-buy list and now I regret that so much. Her response to trans readers bringing up reasonable concerns in regards to her book featuring a trans MC was concerning enough. Her weird thing where she was signing other authors’ work? Super inappropriate. I have no interest in reading anything more from her and am looking to re-home the books I do already own.

Authors Still on my Auto-Buy List:

VE/Victoria Schwab
Jay Kristoff
Amie Kaufman
EK Johnston
Becky Chambers
Talia Hibbert
Martha Wells (as of this year)
Rick Riordan

I really hope to discover some new favorite authors in 2021. I have a LOT of series work to catch up on and we will see if any of those authors get added to my auto-buy lists.

Book Series to Get Caught Up on In 2021

Here is where my 2021 TBR becomes COMPLETELY INSANE because I have a LOT of book series I want to read in 2021.

There are 88 books on this list, unread and set to be published by the end of 2021. Bolded Titles take priority for me (and there’s still 47 of those) as I already know I’m simply not going to have time to get to a LOT of the titles on this list.

Send help, my TBR is crushing me.

1. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
   1. The Final Empire (READ)
   2. The Well of Ascension
   3. The Hero of Ages
   4. The Alloy of Law
   5. Shadows of Self
   6. The Bands of Mourning
   7. The Lost Metal (NOTE: Sanderson said publication is not likely until 2022 now)
2. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
   1. Skyward
   2. Starsight
   3. Nowhere (NOTE: Publication in Fall/Winter 2021)
3. The Expanse (Note: My overall goal is to read at least the first three books in this series, as it might be too daunting to try to read ALL of these books in 2021 as they are HEFTY)
   1. Leviathan Wakes
   2. Caliban’s War
   3. Abbadon’s Gate
   4. Cibola Burn
   5. Nemesis Games
   6. Babylon’s Ashes
   7. Persepolis Rising
   8. Tiamat’s Wrath
   9. Leviathan Falls
4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
   1. An Ember in the Ashes
   2. A Torch Against the Night
   3. A Reaper at the Gates
   4. The Sky Beyond the Storm
5. The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty
   1. The City of Brass
   2. The Kingdom of Copper
   3. The Empire of Gold
6. Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers
   1. The Long Way to an Angry Planet (READ)
   2. A Closed and Common Orbit
   3. Record of a Spaceborn Few
   4. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Note: 2021 Publication)
7. Sea of Ink and Gold Trilogy by Traci Chee
   1. The Reader
   2. The Speaker
   3. The Story Teller
8. All the Stars and Teeth Duology by Adalyn Grace
   1. All the Stars and Teeth
   2. All the Tides of Fate (Note: 2021 Publication)
9. Cursebreakers Series by Brigid Kemmerer
   1. A Curse so Dark and Lonely
   2. A Heart so Fierce and Broken
   3. A Vow so Bold and Deadly (Note: 2021 Publication)
10. Lifelike by Jay Kristoff
    1. LIFEL1K3
    2. DEV1AT3
    3. TRUEL1F3
11. The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
    1. Jade City
    2. Jade War
    3. Jade Legacy (Note: 2021 Publication)
12. The Chronicles of Ghadid by KA Doore
    1. The Perfect Assassin
    2. The Impossible Contract
    3. The Unconquered City
13. The Burning Series by Evan Winter
    1. The Rage of Dragons
    2. The Fires of Vengeance (Note:
14. The Teixcalaan Series by Arkady Martine
    1. A Memory Called Empire
    2. Desolation Called Peace (Note: 2021 Publication)
15. Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
    1. The Knife of Never Letting Go (READ)
    2. The Ask and the Answer (READ)
    3. Monsters of Men
16. The Earthsinger Chronicles by L. Penelope
    1. Song of Blood & Stone
    2. Whispers of Shadow & Flame
    3. Cry of Metal & Bone
17. Strange the Dreamer Duology by Laini Taylor
    1. Strange the Dreamer
    2. Muse of Nightmares
18. The Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh
    1. Silver in the Wood
    2. Drowned Country
19. The Wells of Sorcery Series by Django Wexler
    1. Ship of Smoke and Steel
    2. City of Stone and Silence
    3. Siege of Rage and Ruin (Note: 2021 Publication)
20. The Salvagers Series by Alex White
    1. A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe
    2. A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy
    3. The Worst of All Possible Worlds
21. The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett
    1. Foundryside
    2. Shorefall
22. The Divine Cities Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett
    1. City of Stairs
    2. City of Blades
    3. City of Miracles
23. Seafire Trilogy by Natalie C Parker
    1. Seafire (READ)
    2. Steel Tide
    3. Stormbreak
24. Cassidy Blake Trilogy by Victoria Schwab
    1. City of Ghosts (READ)
    2. Tunnel of Bones (READ)
    3. Bridge of Souls (Note: 2021 Publication)
25. The Witchlands Series by Susan Dennard
    1. Truthwitch (READ)
    2. Windwitch (READ)
    3. Sightwitch (READ)
    4. Bloodwitch (READ)
    5. Witchshadow (Note: 2021 Publication)
26. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
    1. All Systems Red (READ)
    2. Artifiical Condition (READ)
    3. Rogue Protocol (READ)
    4. Exit Strategy (READ)
    5. Network Effect
    6. Fugitive Telemetry (Note: 2021 Publication)
27. The Burnt Empire Saga by Ashok K Banker
    1. Upon A Burning Throne
    2. A Dark Queen Rises (Note: 2021 Publication)
28. Raybearer Series by Jordan Ifueko
    1. Raybearer
    2. Untitled Sequel
29. The Great Cities Series by NK Jemisin
    1. The City Born Great (Note: Free short story from Tor.com)
    2. The City We Became
    3. Untitled Sequel
30. NeoG Series by KB Wagers
    1. A Pale Light in the Black
    2. Untitled Sequel
31. The Sun Chronciles Series by Kate Elliott
    1. Unconquerable Sun
    2. Furious Heaven (Note: Publication Unknown)
32. Between Earth and Sky Series by Rebecca Roanhorse
    1. Black Sun
    2. Untitled Sequel
33. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
    1. The Golem and the Jinni
    2. The Hidden Palace (Note: 2021 Publication)
34. Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire
    1. Every Heart a Doorway (READ)
    2. Down Among the Sticks and Bones (READ)
    3. Beneath the Sugar Sky (READ)
    4. In An Absent Dream (READ)
    5. Come Tumbling Down (READ)
    6. Across the Green Grass Fields (Note: 2021 Release)
35. The Gentleman Bastards Series by Scott Lynch
    1. The Lies of Locke Lamora
    2. Red Seas Under Red Skies
    3. The Republic of Thieves
    4. The Thorn of Emberlain (Note: POSSIBLE 2021 Publication. POSSIBLE.)

21 Standalones to Read in 2021

I’m doing a theme, if no one has picked up on it yet.

Today’s post is 21 Standalones I need to fucking read already, so they are on my 2021 TBR. It should be noted that these are all backlist titles AND I already own them all. So I REALLY NEED TO READ THEM.

1. To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
2. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
3. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
4. A Glimmer of Silver by Juliet Kemp
5. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
6. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
7. Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
8. An Unnatural Life by Erin K Wagner
9. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
10. The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana
11. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Craig
12. Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
13. The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
14. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
15. The Disasters by MK England
16. Everfair by Nisi Shawl
17. Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
18. Beyond the Black Door by AM Strickland
19. Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor
20. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
21. Mindscape by Andrea Hairston

There’s 12 Days Left in 2020

And I have so many books I need to read.

So here’s a list of books that I am going to try to cram into the next 12 days:

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1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab (Note: I have started this book! I am… not far into it.)
2. Auror Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Note: my current audiobook. Its 15 hrs long so this should be easy if I listen to at least one hour and, like, twenty minutes a day.)
3. Burning Roses by SL Huang (Note: A novella! So totally doable, right?)
4. Steel Tide by Natalie C Parker
5. The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (WHY have I not read this yet?? WHY?)

Bonus (I’d LOVE to get to these but frankly its not likely):
6. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
7. Network Effect by Martha Wells

21 Most Anticipated of 2021

Its that time of the year when I make really ambitious TBRs and be really active and then disappear for eight-to-ten months.

At least I’m self-aware at this point. I have ADHD and forget this blog even exists a lot.

ANYWAY: I have 69 (hahaha) titles shelved on GoodReads as Anticipated Releases for 2021. Of those 69, I’ve narrowed the list down to 21 titles I am the MOST excited for. As usual, they are largely spring/summer releases. There are 5 books on this list I am 100% guaranteed to read. I can only hope for the best with the rest.

My 21 Most Anticipated Books of 2021

1. Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #6) – January 12th

What I’m Anticipating: Well, at this point I’ve read five novellas in this series and have enjoyed them ALL, so I know I’m going to like this one too. But also its about centaurs and a teenage horse girl and as someone that was once a teenage horse girl I’m just excited for it. (Also these books always have excellent queer rep, and this time it comes in the form of an intersex MC!)

2. This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria – February 2nd

What I’m Anticipating: There’s ruling class of scribes?? And hidden automatons which I am ALWAYS here for. And ace rep!

3. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna – February 9th

What I’m Anticipating: West-African inspired fantasy by a Black author that is being HIGH KEY hyped by so many. The cover is GORGEOUS and that totally matters right?

4. Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab (Cassidy Blake #3) – March 2nd

What I’m Anticipating: This is a middle grade series by my favorite author, and there was a mystery element added into the second book that I am REALLY curious about. Also I apparently have an ARC of this on its way to me so that will be getting read ASAP. (Also, on a more personal level, this series has a ghost named Jacob and the first book came out when I was mourning the loss of my cousin Jacob, so its got a special place in my heart.)

5. Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (The Brown Sisters #3) – March 9th

What I’m Anticipating: Talia Hibbert is my FAVORITE romance writer and I love all of her work. Her male love interests are always so sweet and this one owns a bed & breakfast so I am expecting him to be especially soft.

6. The Library of the Dead by TL Huchu – March 18th

What I’m Anticipating: The MC is mixed-race Scottish and Zimbabwean which sounds fascinating and the tropes (speaking with the dead! occult library! ghostly streets of Edinburgh) remind me of VE Schwab’s work. Which is enough for me!

7. The Unbroken by CL Clark – March 23rd

What I’m Anticipating: Soldier/Princess romance but make it gay.

8. The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman – April 6th

What I’m Anticipating: The Afterlife is overthrown by an AI? IDK man its Akemi Dawn Bowman’s first science fiction work said to explore “technology, grief, love, and humanity”. I’m very intrigued!

9. Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart – April 20th

What I’m Anticipating: Its a Jamaican-inspired fantasy. *shrugs* That’s all I know about it (also apparently its NOT queer?)

10. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #6) – April 27th

What I’m Anticipating: More sarcastic commentary from everyone’s favorite Murderbot as it struggles to come to figure out emotions. Look I just LOVE Murderbot and I can’t wait for this (even though I am sad its another novella rather than another full-length novel).

11. Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa – May 11th

What I’m Anticipating: Epic fantasy about a bored scholar looking to escape his rigid life and the fascinating mystery girl that isn’t supposed to exist he finds in his barn. (Look I’m mostly here for the cover which is BREATHTAKING)

12. In the Ravenous Dark by AM Strickland – May 18th

What I’m Anticipating: They had me at “pansexual bloodmage” and polyamory.

13. Aetherbound by EK Johnston – May 25th

What I’m Anticipating: Honestly Johnston is an auto-buy author for me and I know next-to-nothing about this book and desperately want it anyway. Strong found-family vibes.

14. The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo – June 1st

What I’m Anticipating: So this is a Great Gatsby retelling, but from the POV of Jordan, but also Jordan is Asian and queer, and also there’s magic. I am not a fan of the Great Gatsby but I am SO DAMN into everything I hear about this book.

15. The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri – June 8th

What I’m Anticipating: An abandoned princess and her handmaiden team up to overthrow the patriarchy while being super gay.

16. Witchshadow by Susan Dennard (Witchlands #4) – June 22nd

What I’m Anticipating: Aeduan’s book answered some questions for me, but created even more questions and I WANT SOME DAMN ANSWERS. Honestly, probably my MOST anticipated book for 2021. AND IT RELEASES ON MY BIRTHDAY.

17. Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta – June 29th

What I’m Anticipating: Pacific Rim but make it gay? Eris destroys the giant mechanical weapons called Windups from the inside, and Sona is a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot with a secret.

18. The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (The Kiss Quotient #3) – August 17th

What I’m Anticipating: Hi yes this is the HIGHLY anticipated romance for Quan, everyone’s favorite wingman. Featuring a love interest with OCD and anxiety. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR YEARS. YEARS.

19. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – Sometime in September?

What I’m Anticipating: Pacific Rim but make it gay is like A THEME for 2021 apparently. East Asian inspired mythology, a girl determined to rip the patriarchy apart with her bare hands, a love triangle the author has UP FRONT said ends with a healthy poly relationship, pitched as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale.

20 Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff – September 7th

What I’m Anticipating: I am TRYING VERY HARD not to get myself too damn hyped for this book but its about vampires but the deadly murderous vampires I grew up on. What I’ve heard really reminds me of the The Vampire Empire trilogy by Clay and Susan Griffiths which I really enjoyed.

21. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune – September 21st

What I’m Anticipating: Its about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with WHICH SOUNDS LIKE THE CUTEST SHIT EVER. Slowburn queer paranormal romance. YES PLEASE.

A Spooktacular October TBR

I started a new job in August and honestly didn’t expect how badly going from working 2nd shift to working 1st shift was going to effect me. It hit me hard and I basically was a sleep deprived zombie for all of August, in addition to struggling with some medical issues (likely triggered by stress). I didn’t read a single thing.

September was mildly more successful. I read six books! Okay so three of them were novellas and one a short story collection, but still. Progress! A semi-return to my normal life.

I’m hoping October is a productive month for me and I’ve created a very overly ambitious TBR to reflect that. Its filled with several of my most anticipated 2020 releases and other moody reads.

1. Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab
2. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig
3. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab
5. Wilder Girls by Rory Power
6. LIFELIK3 by Jay Kristoff
7. DEV1AT3 by Jay Kristoff
8. The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
9. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
10. Over the Woodward Wall by A Deborah Baker
11. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

In addition, I’ve started listening to audiobooks again. I’ve found that I have snatches of time when commuting, getting ready in the morning, when showering, making dinner, and generally living my life here and there. I’ve been averaging about two hours a day in listening during the week, so I figure I can get through three audiobooks a month. For October I’ve chosen Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (I’m currently about five-ish hours in), Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and (hopefully) the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich.

Also I’m planning on participating in the 24 hour readathon on October 24th, and I’ve got a list of spooky Halloween-y novellas I want to binge that day: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavelle, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark; Prosper’s Demon by Tom Holt; and The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht.

All together, there’s eighteen books on this list and it is VERY UNLIKELY I will get through them all, but it still looks like it’ll be a great reading month.

August TBR

So in the month of August I decided I wanted to try and participate in the bookish community more and try out several book clubs that have started up recently.

I have two books that I’m “currently reading” and that I need to finish sometime this month. The first one is Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, which I started back in May before the death of George Floyd. I was maybe two or three chapters in before I put it down to focus on other things but I really need to pick it back up and finish it soon. The second one is The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison which I started as part of the Reading Rush and as a fill for my Hopepunk TBR. The author’s choice of language really threw me off and I’ve been struggling to get through it.

Otherwise here’s the rest of my TBR:

1. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

This is the August pick for the Busy Bee Book Club, hosted by Booked and Busy. You can follow BusyBeeBC on twitter where they link to their discord server. This has been on my TBR for a while now, as I bought it on Kindle last November when it was on sale. Evan Winter is a Black author writing high fantasy, and The Rage of Dragons is supposed to be a story about revenge.

2. The City We Became by NK Jemisin

The Faes and Gays Book Club (link to their twitter account here) is reading this in August. This book has been at the top of my TBR since its release, as I’ve been so truly fascinated with the idea of a city physically personified. Jemisin is a well-known Black fantasy and scifi writer, famous for winning the Hugo Award three times in a row with her Broken Earth Trilogy.

3. Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagen

This is the August pick for the Feminist As Fuck Book Club (here’s their twitter). Another book I’ve been meaning to read for quite a while, this is the story about two girls who face a lot of opposite after they start a Women’s Rights Group at their high school. Its about feminism and intersectionality, which is enough reason for me to give this contemporary a chance.

4. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

I’ll be reading this for The Crusty Club (check them out on twitter). I own a physical copy of this book, and have for several years, but for some reason I just haven’t picked it up. I plan to give the audiobook (available on Scribd) a go. This book is beloved by many for its incredible friendship and the focus on the importance of platonic relationships.

5. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

This is not the first time I’ve listed this book on a recent TBR. The fact is that I’ve read a book by Callender before and wasn’t a huge fan of the writing, which has made me very leery about giving this book a chance, but I literally have  not seen a single bad review for this ownvoices story about a trans boy. I’m reading this as part of the Bibliophiles Book Club (here’s their twitter) and I plan to listen to the audiobook (also on Scribd) as well.

6. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

I’ve been eyeing Emezi’s work for a while  now, so I was thrilled when the Enby Book Club (follow them on instagram) announced this was their August pick. I also have Freshwater and Pet on my TBR, and I’m really excited to give this a go. I know next to nothing about the story itself and I think I’m happy to go into it with as little knowledge as possible.

7. The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi (ARC)

I received an ARC of this way back in January and have been sitting on it for months, waiting to be closer to the official release. This is the sequel to The Gilded Wolves which I read last year. I really enjoyed TGW though there was definitely room for improvement, and I think a lot of the community did the book dirty by comparing it constantly to Six of Crows. While they are both heist novels, they are at their core very very different.

8. The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke (ARC)

The summary for this book begins with the sentence, “An outcast teenage lesbian witch finds her coven hidden amongst the popular girls in her school,” and that was enough for me to request an ARC. I’m really looking forward to giving this book a shot.

9. & 10. Rogue Protocol & Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

I’ve been reading the Murderbot series and absolutely loving it. I plan to read these two books during the 2020 Summer Reverse Readathon (read about it here) a 24-hr readathon that begins on August 7th.

11. The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson

This is a fantasy novella written by a Black gay man and features a male/male romance. There’s a whole discussion to be had about how most m/m romance is written by straight women and why its important to read m/m romance that is ownvoices and written by gay men, but I’m not really sure its my place to be a part of that discussion. I will say that I do my best now to seek out m/m romances that are written from an ownvoices perspectives rather than by straight women who may be fetishizing gay romance, and this novella caught my attention because it takes place in a future dystopian version of Africa and is meant for an adult audience (when most of the m/m romances I can find written by gay men tend to be intended for the YA audience: Shaun David Hutchinson, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Adam Silvera, etc).

12. The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark

I read The Black God’s Drums by P Djeli Clark a few months ago, and absolutely loved it and have been really looking forward to reading more of his work. This is another novella I intend to read during the 24-hr readathon.

 

I also updated my 2020 TBR shelf on GoodReads to represent the roughly forty books I have at the top of my TBR, all of which I fully intend to get to by the end of this year.

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2020

2020 is halfway done (thank Merlin) and so its time to take stalk of what I’ve read so far this year. As of writing this, I’ve read 60 books in 2020 (yay lockdown?). Before we get into the tag, here are some stats:

Books Read: 60
Pages Read: 14,857
Average Pages Per Book: 243
Shortest Book Read: 25 pages (Clatter, a poetry collection by Neil Hilborn)
Longest Book Read: 633 pages (Weird and Wonderful Holiday Romances, an anthology)
Average Days Per Book: 3
Average Pages Per Day: 148
Average Books Per Month: 10

Most popular book (going off of GoodReads): Mistborn
Least popular book: The Avant-Guards #4
Highest Rated by Other People: Check Please Vol. 2: Sticks and Scones (4.65 average rating. I gave it 5 stars.)
Lowest Rated by Other People: Poisoned Apples Poems for You my Pretty (3.57 average rating. I gave it 3.75 stars myself)

Note: I consider any work of prose under 200 pages a novella. If its over 200 pages I count it as a regular novel. Also the memoir/bio genre is because that’s how I classify poetry unless its a novel in verse.
Books Written by Authors of Color: 18
Books Written by Queer Authors: 25
Books Written by Men: 13
Books Written by Women: 45
Books Written by Non-Binary Authors: 4

Note: these numbers aren’t entirely accurate because anthologies that include multiple authors are hard to put into these groups so I only counted them if every author was an AOC like in A Phoenix Must First Burn or queer like in Transcendence: The Best Transgender Speculative Fiction of the Year, and didn’t count them at all when it came to gender of the author. Also trans men were included as men and trans women were included as women because THEY FUCKING ARE.
NOW ON WITH THE TAG

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2019

As usual, this is the question I struggle with the hardest and its the first on the list. I don’t usually choose favorite books, or rather I choose MANY favorite books. Some of the best books I’ve read this year have included some really wonderful poetry collections that moved me to tears (Don’t Call Us Dead, Shame is an Ocean I Swim Across, and To Drink Coffee with a Ghost) and some truly amazing novellas that pack A LOT into a small number of pages (Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, The Deep by Rivers Solomon, and The Black God’s Drums). Sidenote, Tor is doing a GREAT job producing works by queer authors, authors of color, and queer authors of color.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire. While its true that most of the Wayward Children books are more or less standalones, that isn’t the case with the Jack and Jill stories. The trio of stories that follow twins Jack and Jill began with the first Wayward Children book Every Heart a Doorway, where Jack and Jill were important supporting characters but not the POV character. This was followed by Down Among the Sticks and Bones, a prequel to Every Heart a Doorway and covered Jack and Jill’s first time in the Moors. Come Tumbling Down is the final book and covers the events after Jack and Jill return to the Moors after the events of Every Heart a Doorway.

I really enjoy all of the Wayward Children books, but the Jack and Jill stories have been my favorite. I love the world building of the Moors, combining the traditional gothic aesthetic of vampires, werewolves, and more with inclusive characters and really emotional connections. I love the characters and the representation. I hope we see more of the Moors, even if Jack and Jill’s story has been concluded.

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

Ugh, so many. All the Stars and Teeth, A Song Below Water, The Sound of Stars, and Take a Hint Dani Brown are all books that I own and haven’t gotten to yet but are all on my July TBR.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

VE Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Naomi Novik’s A Deadly Education.

5. Biggest disappointment

For me, this was Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee. It had been on my TBR for so damn long and I finally got around to reading it this past May for the Asian Readathon. I’d heard so many great things and hyped it a lot in my head. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. It is by no means a bad story, but it relies on tropes that I’m not a huge fan of (hidden identity, miscommunication) and falls to the younger side of YA (again not a bad thing, its written for teens!). I still gave it 3 stars.

6. Biggest surprise

Sarina Bown’s True North series. Its a romance series that I was not expecting to enjoy nearly as much as I did. I’m very picky when it comes to romance, especially straight romances, because they can be filled with so much problematic shit. But this series was wonderfully void of those problematic tropes I can’t stand (alpha male being the main one) and was just a wonderful escape I found at the very start of lockdown when shit was very stressful.

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

Martha Wells. So far I’ve only read her Murderbot series, but she has a lot out there for me to read and I’m looking forward to it. The next story I plan to pick up from her is about a shape-shifter that has wings? That’s literally all I know about it.

8. Newest fictional crush

Eh, not applicable?

9. Newest favorite character

Murderbot, for sure.

10. Book that made you cry

The poetry collections mentioned earlier: Don’t Call Us Dead; Shame Is An Ocean I Swim Across; To Drink Coffee With a Ghost

11. Book that made you happy

Get a Life Chloe Brown was great from start to finish, as if everything I’ve read by Talia Hibbert so far.

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

I think my favorite cover so far is A Song Below Water.

13.What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

SO MANY. I mean, damn.

I need to read more books by authors of color, as I want at least half of the books I read in 2020 to be by authors of color and so far I’m only at like 30% so that definitely needs to change. The following authors are all on my TBR: Sabaa Tahir, NK Jemisin, P Djeli Clark, Victor LaVelle, Andrea Hairston, Joan He, Tochi Onyebuchi, Claire Kann, Melissa Bashardoust, Yoon Ha Lee, and more.

I want to read more non-binary authors (which check out the Enby Book Club if you’re looking for more books by non-binary authors to read, as well as this resource) as well. I have a backlist of Anna-Marie McLemore books to read, Rivers Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts, Nino Cipri, Margaret Killjoy, JY Yang, Akwaeke Emezi, Danez Smith has another poetry collection I really want to read, more from Sarah Gailey, I have a lot to read honestly its great. (Again, sidenote, check out how many authors on this list are published via Tor).

I also want to start a segment on this blog about “hopepunk” novels and to do that I need to read some damn hopepunk (see this blog post for more on that).